What Meets The Eye
by AToxicLullaby
Summary: Four girls, all devoted into getting their freedom back. What lays ahead for them is a trail of love, lies, tricks, and...weapons? Will they succeed or will their masters have a different plan? Read & Review! EdWin AlMei RoyXRiza LanFanXLing
1. New Life, New Roommates

**What Meets The Eye**

**Chapter 1: New Life, New Roommates**

What's one of the worst things in life? Being slave to a huge group of rulers. Having your freedom all taken away. Having all your favorite things you like to do taken away by one loss in war.

It seemed for Winry just a few weeks ago, she had the perfect life. She lived in a house with her parents, and her grandmother Pinako. She was learning automail, while reading doctor books. Life couldn't be better than this.

Except for one thing: War.

For the last couple of months, war had been raging all over the country. North vs. south. East vs. west. It wouldn't end. Soon, many doctors all over the area were called in to go and help the injured, including Winry's parents. Though she hated the idea of her parents leaving, she knew it was for the best. Unfortunately, her country had lost, and everyone who was still alive was taken in, and had become a slave.

The slaves were shipped everywhere that could afford them. Winry and her grandmother didn't know where they were being shipped to. They just hoped for the best. They had to ride in a huge cart the whole way. The trip took about a week. They saw many people being tortured by the heating sun itself. It was an awful sight.

When they arrived at the place that had bought them, they could tell it wasn't going to be as good as they imagined. They first had to go through huge,, golden gates. Once inside, they saw where they were soon to serve at. It was a huge, pearl white mansion, surrounded by gardens full of many types of flowers. In front of the huge mansion, was a woman around her twenties., smiling at the look of the newly arrived slaves. She was pretty for someone who worked here.

As everybody started to exit the cart, the woman started to speak. "Welcome to the Elric mansion. You will soon be given new clothes, a new job, and a place to sleep. You will respect everybody in this mansion. You will follow every command given to you. If you mess around in any way, you will directly, come to me. I am Miss Lust. Now, follow that man. He will show you where you will be staying. Envy, go ahead."

"Yeah, yeah. Damn, I hate this job. Lust, go and tell Mr. Elric that they have arrived."

"Will do." Lust disappeared into the shadows, leaving Envy with all forty slaves waiting for him.

"Why, hello people. I'm Mister Envy, but just call me Envy. I hate this job, so let's get this over with." He showed all around the first floor, saying that the second floor was not allowed to be trespassed unless you have permission. He showed them the kitchen, dining room, the library, the lounge, the garden, the ballroom, the supply closet, and finally their new home.

The room was small, with enough beds for ten or even more people. There was a tiny bathroom and shower in the corner. There was only one window in the whole room. Sadly for Winry and her grandmother, they wouldn't be sharing the same bedroom.

The whole 'bedroom sharing' thing went like this: Seniors share different rooms, both for women and me. Adults older than eighteen share a room, but different rooms for the guys and the girls. If you were a little kid, you were allowed to stay with your guardian. If you were a teenager, you share different rooms, too. Once Envy took all the guys to their rooms, he led the girls to their rooms. Just as it was Winry's turn, the room didn't have any more beds left. She was the only one left.

"Oops. Well, it looks like you'll have to share a room with the other girls, beautiful."

"Ughh." Winry was disgusted by his remark. "Don't even try."

Envy led her to a dark, damp hallway that led to another room. He opened the door, and Winry saw three other girls in there. There was one with blond hair pulled back, with piercing eyes. There was another one with two, raven haired knots, with three twirled, twisted, braided knots coming down from those. The third one had very dark brunette bangs covering a small portion of her face, while the rest of her hair was in a bun.

"Hey, gals. You have a new roommate. Be good, and don't cause trouble." And with that, Envy closed the door, and Winry could hear his footsteps getting farther and farther away.

"New girl, huh?" said the blond haired girl. She stood up ad looked at Winry. "Welcome."

"Thanks. I'm Winry." Winry suddenly didn't feel as nervous as she did a moment ago.

The blond haired girl then introduced herself. "I'm Riza."

The raven haired girl then stood up, and also introduced herself. "I'm Mei."

"And I'm Lan Fan. Nice to meet you." said the dark brunette.

"What is this place?" asked Winry. She had never seen a house this big in her life.

Riza was the one to answer her question. "This is the Elric mansion." Winry was about to ask who were the Elrics, but Riza answered her question before she even had the chance. "The Elrics are a rich, worthy family. This house is owned by Mr. Elric, who lives with his two sons, and two other friends. There's Roy Mustang. He studies flame alchemy. And when he isn't studying, he's a manwhore. You'll know it's him if he flirts with you, and if he has jet-black hair."

Lan Fan was the next one to talk. "The next one is a guy named Ling. He treats himself as if he was a prince. He's also the type to flirt with the gals."

"There is also the younger brother, Alphonse. All I know, or heard, is that he's way kinder than his older brother. He has golden eyes, and a darker shade of golden hair. He loves animals, and he's always taking care of his older brother. He's not really type to be interested in girls." said Mei.

"Then there's the older brother, Edward," Riza continued. "He has golden eyes just like his younger brother, but his hair is a bit lighter. The two brothers study alchemy. He's a bit more hot-headed than his brother, and takes a lot of risks. And if you insult him about his height, he get's all pissed. Together, all these guys make up the Elric family."

"Wow. One more thing: Why are you guys even all way to the end of the hallway? Isn't there more rooms over there?" It seemed a bit strange for them to be a little farther than the other girls.

"You don't know? Hmmm…Lan Fan, you tell her why." cried Mei. "I'm too tired to speak!"

Lan Fan stood from her bed, and went in front of the tired Mei. "You're always tired. Okay, here's all you need to know. If you're brought here, you're somehow dangerous, or a threat to this family."

"Wait! What? How am I a threat? How are any of you guys a threat?" Winry couldn't possibly think herself as a threat.

"You don't think you're dangerous? You didn't get put in here accidentally. We're all considered a _threat_."

Winry just couldn't imagine these girls as a threat, neither. "Oh yeah? You don't look like the type."

Riza chuckled at her respond. "Looks can be deceiving, my friend. I ain't as innocent as I seem. Before getting captured, I was in the military. I was hiding in the shadows, in the least expected places. I was the sniper. I had the hawk's eye. I learned to live in harsh conditions."

Lan Fan then looked at Winry. "I trained to be a bodyguard that can protect under any circumstances. I felt the harshest pain, and learned how to attack swiftly, and silently. Mei isn't anymore innocent than we are."

Mei slowly lifted herself off the bed. "Fine. I wanted to learn more about immortality. I learned a little about healing alchemy. Even as a little girl, I could cross any desert, and live on! And I could also kick butt!"

"I guess looks can be deceiving. I still don't get how am I a threat?" In her whole life, Winry had never been seen as a threat. It didn't feel any good knowing you may be a threat.

"What have you been doing for the last couple of months?" Riza wasn't convinced she was as innocent as she thought. No one gets put in that room in accident. There had to be something….

"Umm….well, before my parents left, I was studying and practicing automail, and I was reading doctor books that belong to my parents, but-" Winry was interrupted by Lan Fan.

"There you go. There's your problem: Your not a threat physically, but mentally. Maybe your knowledge is a threat to this mansion, or the people that live in it."

"Mentally, huh? Oh, whatever! So, what's our job in this house?" Winry did wonder, since now she was a slave, what was going to be her duty.

Riza went to sit on the corner of her bed. "Heck, I don't know."

"Huh? I thought you've been here for a while! How the hell do you know all that information, then?" Winry yelled.

"Cause," said Riza, "those freaking, damn chicks in the next room won't shut up."

"Yeah!" replied Lan Fan. "All they do is talk about those freaking, annoying sounding guys!"

Mei was next to talk. "Try living next to Miss. I-can't-shut-my-damn-mouth-up all-the-time! It's a challenge. All they talk about is how they look, and suppose 'rumors'. The only good thing is you get **info **that may come in handy later on, if you know what I mean." By then Mei had a smirk on her face.

"Yeah….." was all Winry could say. "So, do you know when we're getting our jobs?"

"Don't think of it as a job." said Lan Fan. "Think of it more as a….umm…tasks. This isn't somewhere you're gonna get paid. This is place is the borderline between your life and your grave. And anyways, I feel bad for who's gonna get that job of being a servant for those manwhores. Ha!"

"You said it, Lan Fan!" screamed Mei as she laughed with joy.

"Don't get too comfortable, Lan Fan, Mei, and Winry. The work is just getting started…..Anyways, he's here." And with that, Envy announced aloud, that everyone was to appear in the main hall, soon to be told their new duty in life.

* * *

**So….Whatcha think? Review, and sorry for any grammar mistakes. No one's perfect.**

**Oh yeah. One thing: Mustang and Hawkeye are seventeen. Edward, Winry, Ling, and Lan Fan are sixteen, or almost sixteen. Alphonse and Mei are fifteen.**

**Just needed to get that over with. Have some pie!**

**~Lucy**


	2. Meet Your New Job

**What Meets The Eye**

**Chapter 2: Meet Your New Job**

After Envy left, the girls left and met up with the other slaves, then headed for the main hall. They open the door, and found Envy, Lust, and a few men sitting in chairs that reminded them of kings. Most of the men were old, with their hair in a small ponytail. The man in the middle stood up and introduced himself.

"Hello everyone. I am Hoenheim. And welcome to the Elric Mansion." The slaves just stood there and stared. "Today, you will be assigned a job. You will do this job correctly, and you will follow all orders. First of all, the elderly."

Winry was worried for her grandmother Pinako, but she knew her grandmother could handle whatever came to her. After waiting a while, Winry saw as her grandmother was assigned as clean-up duty.

_Way to go with the jobs. They sound boring, but at least easy_, thought Winry.

The elderly were soon assigned their jobs and were excused. The men were called and most of them had military or construction usage, a few even had to do gardening, and were excused. Women and children were told to go and help either cooking or cleaning for the house. They were then excused. Teenaged boys were told they would do construction or refurnish a lot of the house.

After the boys left, the teenaged girls were told they would help with the cooking, cleaning, and even be maids.

Once they were all told their duties, they were waiting to be excused. "You are all excused, EXCEPT for you four girls in the back," said the other man, pointing towards Winry's and her friends' direction.

Winry could hear girls snicker that they were in 'trouble'. She looked at Riza, Lan Fan, and Mei who also didn't have a clue why they were called personally by the sir himself. Once everybody left, the girls went and stood a few feet away from the sir, all confused, and eager to leave to their cozy, new home.

The man in the right first spoke. "You girls will not be doing those jobs."

_What? _thought Winry.

_You gotta be kidding me_, Riza said to herself.

_Then what the hell are we suppose to do?…._Lan Fan kept on asking herself.

_Unless_…..thought Mei.

_No! _The girls thought of at the same time.

"We know what you use to do," said the other man who looked really buff, had a curled moustache, and had a little strand of hair on the top of his head. "And that is why we're assigning you a special duty."

They were all expecting the news they didn't want to hear. None of them dared to respond to his remark.

"Riza Hawkeye. In the military for three years. You were the sniper shooter. You will be assigned the duty of being an assistant of -"

Riza was nervous. "Oh no…Not him…."

"Roy Mustang!" Riza looked like she was going to explode, but kept herself steady.

"Lan Fan. Professional bodyguard. Trained for two years. Swift, and silent. You will be assigned as the assistant of -"

"Oh, God…..No."

"Ling Yao!"

Just as Riza, Lan Fan kept any sign of her erupting with any rage hidden.

"Mei. You came to this country looking for secrets toward immortality. You've studied a bit of healing alchemy. That is why I will assign you as an assistant for -"

"I knew this would happen…." sighed Mei.

"Alphonse Elric!"

Mei just kept quite, staring at her feet, trying not to make any contact or sign of rage.

"And Winry Rockbell. You learned automail, studied a bit about doctor and medicine from your parents. You will be assigned as an assistant for -"

"Oh my freaking g-"

"Edward Elric!" And the man stood up and looked at the ladies. "And by the way, I am Major Armstrong. Now, you are excused."

The girls walked towards the door, closed it, and left to their room. Once inside, the all erupted with rage, and confusion.

"What the hell?" yelled Mei.

"I don't want to be an assistant for that damn manwhore!' screamed Riza.

"Training sounds more pleasant than helping that wannabe-prince!" Lan Fan kept on repeating.

"Are they serious? We're threats to them, and they want us working with their damn sons or whatever they're freaking are! What are they, BLIND?"

Winry felt so pissed. From what her friends told her, working for these guys is like selling your soul to the reaper himself. After a few minutes of yelling, paranoia, screaming, shouting, screeching, and hollering, they kind of calmed down.

"Shut the hell up in there!" screamed the girl who's room was next to theirs, pounding on their wall.

"Screw you!" yelled Lan Fan. "YOU DON'T KNOW THE HELL WE'RE GOING THROUGH!"

After arguing with their neighbors, they girl relaxed, but not yet able to accept their new tasks. They all laid down on their beds, too tired o fight with the truth.

It was quite for a while, but Winry broke the silence. "So, this is really our new job?"

"Yeah, I guess," responded Riza, sighing.

Mei turned the opposite side she was laying on her bed. "I don't wanna work for them…."

Lan Fan stared at the ceiling. Her dark brunette hair on her eyes. "Me, too. How could this happen? At least they're not gonna make us wear maid dress-"

"Hey, ladies! Here's your new maid dresses- Oh, I mean, your new clothes," interrupted Envy.

"Awww! You gotta be serious?" yelled Lan Fan. "We failed. We're gonna have to work here forever until we die."

"Not necessary." said Winry with a smirk on her face. She picked up the maid dresses, and brought them to her friends. They looked like typical maid dresses, with the black satin and crushed velvet dress with a white satin underskirt with lace trim, white lace apron, white headpiece and white garter, and also the small-cut gloves. They also came with small, flat black shoes.

"Huh?" they all said.

"What do you mean, Winry?" asked Riza.

She still had the smirk on her face while she handed out the maid dress to each of them. "I mean, how bad do you wanna escape?"

"But wouldn't they notice us missing, Winry-chan?" asked Mei in an innocent voice.

"But what if we make them free us?"

"And how will we do that?" Lan Fan broke in. "I swear these dresses are made for seduction.." whispered Lan Fan. Winry smirked. "Oh no. We already have to work for them. I ain't making them fall in love with me!"

"Not everything has to involve the usage of seduction, you know! We'll make them feel so bad fro having them capturing us, use seduction-"

"You see! So we do have to!" screamed Lan Fan.

"No! It's just a choice. Or even make them turn into suckers. So, what do you think?" Winry raised an eyebrow, and still had a smirk on her face.

"I'll do it so I can finally be free." Riza agreed.

"This better be worth it." said Lan Fan.

"Hey, wait you guys! I wanna join, too!" Mei also agreed.

"Good. Lan Fan, you don't have to use seduction. Okay? Unless it's really necessary…." whispered Winry.

"If we really need to use that trick, I will."

"Now, why the hell do we need to wear these?" asked Winry.

"Maybe the guys are pervs, and they wanted to see more than what was given to-"

"Mei!" shrieked Lan Fan.

"What? I was only joking!" she yelled back.

"You know what, guys?" Winry had a kind smile on her face. "I think we're gonna be good friends!"

They all laughed as they agreed with Winry, and Mei kept on worrying Lan Fan about these guys.

* * *

"Father, you called?" asked a boy around his teen years with golden eyes.

"Oh, Alphonse. Yes. Where is your brother and the others?" asked the father with a worried face.

Alphonse responded with a calm voice. "They're on their way, Father."

After a few minutes, three other boys around their teen years stepped into the office, too. One had raven hair, with bluish/ grayish eyes. Another had raven hair too, but he had it long enough fot it to be held in a ponytail. The last one had golden eyes, light golden hair in a braided ponytail.

"Ah. Roy, Ling, Edward. You're here. There's something I need to talk to you about."

"What is it, old man?" replied Edward, or Ed.

The father sighed. "I've noticed lately you've been working really hard with your studies and alchemy. So, I thought you needed some help. And this is what I wanted to tell you: I've gotten you some assistants…with some interesting backgrounds."

"Without our supervision? Wow. Who made you king?" Ed said with a slight rude expression.

"No one did. I am your father, so I decided you needed some help. They'll be here tomorrow at nine a.m. Arrive here no later. Be nice to them. Got that?"

"Yes, sir." they all responded.

"Thank you. You are excused." The boys left. Al followed his older brother, trying to calm them down.

"Another batch of slaves, huh? The old man better had said the truth, and those 'assistants' better be good as they sound."

Al still followed him. But, brother, we don't even know if they're guys."

Ed turned around with a 'are you serious' expression. "Girls? Yeah right. I'm tired. I'm going to sleep."

Al sighed. "He never listens…."

* * *

**So? Whatcha think? Review! I don NOT own anything, blah, blah, blah!**

**Sorry for any late uploads. I have so much homework! Keep on reviewing!**

**~Lucy**


	3. Greetings Fellow Jerks!

**What Meets The Eye**

**Chapter 3: Greetings Fellow Jerks**

That night, Winry couldn't sleep. She and her roommates were now officially slaves, but it didn't feel good nor bad. She was worried about her new owner. Earlier, they had agreed they would try to escape using their 'masters' as the bait.

_So, Riza got the manwhore. Lan Fan got the wannabe-prince. And Mei got the kind one…That means I got the…Oh no…I got the hot-headed one…But, maybe I can mess with his mind more easier. Oh well. Sweet dreams, Winry. _And soon Winry fell asleep.

Winry dreamed of when she was younger. She and her parents were walking on the hillside grass, each of them with a smile. Then the scene change. It was a dark, damp night now. Winry was now older. Her parents had their suitcases in their hands.

"_Now Winry, remember what we told you. Be a good girl, until we come back." Her parents smiled. "No matter what happens, we love you. Please take care. Goodbye, now." And they walked away._

"_Bye…." whispered Winry._

* * *

The next morning, it was nice and sunny. It was a perfect day to be outside, but unfortunately, Winry, Riza, Lan Fan, and Mei were about to start working. Winry had awoken earlier than everyone else to take a shower. She went to their small bathroom. The room itself was very plain and simple.

_This room need more things to light it up. At least they put in towels for us._

She got two towels , undressed herself, and stepped into the shower. The cold water instantly began. The cold water on her smooth, silky skin made her feel relaxed and calmed. She washed her hair, and cleaned her body. Her long, blond hair hanged around her shoulders, and her back. She stepped out of the shower, and looked at herself.

It had been a while since Winry had really looked at herself. She had been so busy with her automail studies, and reading medicine books, she never cared to look. She had a nice healthy body for someone who didn't seem to look over themselves. She quickly reminded herself she didn't have all day, and dried herself up. She could hear the commotion, guessing everybody was staring to wake up. She put on her new maid outfit, and quickly decided after she leaves this place, she'll never become a maid, EVER.

The maid outfit fit her good, but she didn't feel comfortable. Winry thought it looked a bit too short on her. She was use to wearing leggings, pants, or skirts that didn't feel short. She dismissed the idea since she would have to wear this outfit as long as she's a slave here. She stepped outside the bathroom, and found her roommates also dressed in their new outfits.

"I'm guessing it's almost time to start working." Winry said with a 'sarcastic' look.

"And what makes you think that?" responded Riza. She looked efficient enough in her outfit. It didn't look like she was happy of wearing it, but it would be better if she got use to it now than later.

"Ha ha, Riza. When are we suppose to go and where are we suppose to stay?" Mei knew better than to mess around. She looked like a maid who didn't really care. Her eyes showed seriousness and worry.

"Oh, come on, Mei. Loosen up." Lan Fan seemed a bit more joyous than she would actually be. "We're gonna start our new tasks today, so let's at least have a bit of fun before the fun itself ends forever!" Lan Fan looked rather looked ordinary in her outfit. She almost looked as if she was enjoying it, but Winry just thought she's trying to make the best out of it.

"Okay! But seriously, where are we suppose to meet them at?"

_Knock! Knock! _"Hey, girlies! It's time to start!" Envy was asked to go and escort the girls to Mr. Elric's office. "Hello?"

"We're coming!" screamed Winry. "Come on, you know what to do…" They all stood up from their comfy beds and went outside their tiny room. Envy escorted them through the house, leading them to Mr. Elric's office.

"Here you go, ladies. If you excuse me, blah, blah, blah. You know what I mean." Envy left before he did anything else.

"Well, hello ladies. Looks like the fist day on the job, huh? They should be here any minute." Mr. Elric (Hoenheim) was sitting in his high chair, looking outside his window. "I have faith in you girls will do what is told, and will not plan anything fishy. Now, just wait. They'll be here any minute."

* * *

"Brother! Hurry up and change. Father will be upset if we don't arrive on time." Alphonse was in a hurry to go and meet his new assistant, but sadly, Ed had awoke late, and was now barely changing.

"Who cares? The old man doesn't know what he's doing!" yelled back Ed. "Getting an assistant for us! I'm pretty sure I can handle myself."

"Yes, yes. Just hurry up!" Within a few minutes, Ed had managed to put on a nice suit, but he didn't arrange his tie. They managed to meet up with Roy and Ling in front of Mr. Elric's office before going in.

"What took you so long?" Roy asked them. "We're late."

"I wonder if they'll follow my every order….." Ling whispered to himself.

"Okay guys! Prepare to see the men in the worst condition, ever!" yelled Ed high enough for them to hear him, but no one else. He opened the doors, and they all walked in together.

"Ah boys, you're here. Welcome." Mr. Elric greeted his sons and friends.

The boys looked over Mr. Elric, then their attention was caught by the four girls sanding on their left. Their mouths dropped. For guys who did look at girls, but didn't really get their attention, these girls were hot!

"Boys, you're late." They came back to reality as if nothing had happened. "I've should've known you would've been late. Oh well, that's in the past. Girls, let me introduce you to my boys."

All of the girls just sighed in boredom. They already hated the job, and they haven't even began! Mr. Elric stood from his chair, and went where the boys were at.

He pointed to each boy as he said their names. "This is Roy. Ling. Alphonse. And Edward."

"Yah, yah. What are these girls even doing here? Where's our assistants?" Mr. Elric looked at Roy then sighed.

"Boys….These girls are your assistants!" Mr. Elric seemed a bit annoyed.

"What?" yelled Ed. He didn't seem to take the news as a 'good thing' unlike his other companions. "You expect me to work with one of these girls? Hell no! I have better things to do than to -"

"He's right." Everyone turned to Winry's direction. The guys didn't know one bit what she was doing, but the girls knew what she was thinking.

Ed looked at Winry. "W-What did you say?" He was surprised she even dared to interrupt him.

"You're right. I shouldn't be wasting my time on something like _you_. Hey, Hoenheim! Just gimme a regular job! I'll rather work as a freakin' cook than work for this short-tempered, annoying brat." Riza, Lan Fan, and Mei smirked at what Winry was trying to do: To make him mad enough to accept her as his assistant.

"Um…Winry, are you sure?" Mr. Elric was confused.

"Well, if he can't accept a girl as his assistant, I think it would be better." Winry didn't know if it was going to work or not.

"Edward, give them a chance. Why do you have to be so stubborn?"

Ed looked at his father, at his brother and friends, then finally at the girls. "Ughh….One mess up, and you're done for! You too, old man!"

"Deal. Now, meet your new assistants. Roy. Riza." Roy flashed a smile, a Riza threw a glare. "Ling. Lan Fan." Ling waved, and Lan Fan just stood there with a poker face. "Alphonse. Mei." Alphonse waved and smiled, but Mei just flashed a small smile. "And Ed. This is Winry." They both stuck with their unpleasant expressions."Now that you'll all met, you may go and do whatever you do." Winry, Riza, Lan Fan, and Mei followed behind their new 'master'. Once out the entrance, everyone split up and went opposite directions. None of the girls knew what they were going to do. All the girls did remember their plan of being freed. Each of them had remembered of what each boy studies or does.

* * *

Winry studied the hallways as she kept on following Ed. He seemed a still upset from earlier. She saw many paintings and rooms full of books. If it wasn't for her following Ed, Winry would've of gotten lost in this house.

After a few ten minutes of silence, Ed started to show signs of him trying to start a conversation. "So…..The old man said you had an interesting background. Before you came here, what did you do?"

"Um…Why do you care?" She wasn't gonna allow him to learn more about her that easily.

He almost glared, but ignored it. "Cause, if you're my assistant, I need to know things….Like your not a psychotic, crazy, blood-thirsty murderer…."

"Whatever. I use to do automail and medicine, or at least read about it." Ed suddenly stopped, and so did Winry.

He turned around to face her. "Did you just say you did automail?"

She was surprised of how he reacted. "Um….Yeah."

"Like use tools, fix watches, repair metal arms or legs?" Winry looked at Ed with her eyebrows raised.

"Umm….Yeah. You sound surprise. Is it because I'm a girl?" she asked while Ed was still looking surprised.

"No, it's just…Never mind. Let's just go." Winry shrugged her shoulders.

And the two walked towards their destination while Winry was wondering where they were heading and what Ed was about to tell her before he stopped himself.

* * *

"So….The old man says you were in the army. That true?" asked Roy. For the last ten minutes, he had been trying to start a simple conversation with his new assistant, but failed.

"Yeah. Sure, whatever." Riza mumbled to him.

Roy tried again. "So, aren't you interested in what you're going to help me on-"

"Don't care."

"Is this your first time helping-"

"Nope."

"What's your fav-"

"None."

Roy tried his best not to lose his temper. "Look, I'm just trying to start a simple conversation with you. If you don't want to, then just say so. "

"And your point was…."

That was it: he gave up. Roy sighed while Riza stared at him with her eyes showing no emotion. "Let's just hurry up, and get this over with."

* * *

"I hope you enjoy helping me out. I don't really do that much. Just read, and some simple projects. Nothing really, though," Al told Mei as they walked over to the next hall. They had actually had a good start, unlike the others…

"I don't really mind hard work. I've been to the harshest places in the world. I'm pretty sure I can handle anything." Al laughed at her.

"Anything?" But before Mei could ask what was funny, Al opened two huge, white doors revealing a marvelous, gigantic library surrounded by books.

Mei's mouth dropped. "I'm pretty sure this is bigger than our town's library back home."

Al kept on walking, Mei followed behind him. They arrived at a small table, covered with many, and like MANY books from many sizes. "Your going to be helping me write some information down, and sometimes read a book."

Mei just stared at Al, then at the books, then back at Al. She sighed, and her happy mood went to a nervous mood. "What have I gotten myself into?…"

* * *

"So, since you are my new assistant, you should probably know my rules. One: You will address me as Mr. Ling, not Ling, or Ling Man, or Ling Dog, or Lingity Ling Lan."

_What the hell is wrong with him?…_Thought Lan Fan.

"Rule two: you will treat me with respect! Rule three: you will get me my lunch every evening. Rule four: you will do everything I say. Now then, let's go!"

Lan Fan looked at the guy as if he was insane, which she thought he was. _Blah, blah, blah! Seriously dude, I could totally snap your neck right now, but I have better ideas…._

They both walked into a small room. Ling sat on a white chair, next to a small, round white table.

"What are we doing here?" asked Lan Fan confused.

"Rule number three," he said while pointing towards the kitchen's directions. "You will get me my lunch every evening."

Lan Fan looked out the window. "It's not even evening!" she yelled, throwing her arms into the air.

"Uh, uh, uh. Rule number four: you will do everything I say," he replied with a smirk on his face.

Lan Fan wanted to jump at him, and choke him with her bare hands, but instead calmly agreed, and made her way to the kitchen.

_Now I'll make sure your torture is never ending…._

* * *

**Here's the new chapter! Whatcha think? Read & Review!**

**Sorry for really late upload. Life can be so complicated….See you next chapter! Peace! **

**~Lucy**


	4. Mazes & More Mazes!

**What Meets The Eye**

**Chapter 4: Mazes & More Mazes!**

All four girls arrived in their room feeling tired by the minute. They didn't think being servants for some couple of boys would be this hard. They all got dressed into their own sleeping wear, and went straight to their bed.

After a while of not being able to go to sleep, Winry curiosity started to show. She stood up from her bed to realize she wasn't the only one awake.

"You're awake, too?" whispered Riza.

Winry could still see her though the lights were turned off. "Yeah….I can't sleep. And for some random reason, I feel like I wanna-"

"Explore?" cut in Mei as she open her weary eyes from all the reading.

"How did you know?" Winry couldn't help but to wonder how these girls knew her next words or moves.

"It's called instinct. We all have it. Even you, you just have to find it," Winry heard Lan Fan whisper from the corner of where her bed stood.

"Haha, I guess we are alike a bit." Winry stood from her bed, and headed for the door.

"Where do you think you're going?" asked Riza as she lifted herself from the bed.

"I'm gonna go and explore this house. You gals can go do whatever you want. I'm doing my thing," she simply responded as she grabbed the doorknob in front of her.

"I'm going, too." Winry was a bit shocked Riza would actually want to also go exploring, but then **again: **she didn't really know them _that_well. "Anyone else up for it?"

Lan Fan raised her arm, but then learned it wasn't the best thing to do after she fell off the bed's edge. "I'm a bit hungry, so I'm just gonna grab a quick snack and sneak my way out."

"What about you, Mei?" Riza asked the usually energetic girl who laid on her bed, dying from all the new words she had learned.

"Nah, imma sleep my way to wherever you go when you die. Winry can go adventure Wonderland as much as she wants, Lan Fan can ninja her ass out the kitchen, and you can shoot your way. Haha, just kidding…except for Lan Fan. Have fun!" was all she said before she knocked out.

"Riza, can we draw on her face?" Lan Fan asked with a smirk on her own face. "Please?"

Riza just sighed. "Save your ink for the guys' faces. Come on, let's go."

Winry quietly turned the doorknob, opening her door. She opened it halfway ans each of them slipped out silently. They all walked the same way for a while, then they came across a halfway with three doors.

"Umm…." Lan Fan whispered across the hallway to her pals.

"What the hell?….." Riza said under her breath, feeling a bit confused.

Winry just stared at the doors with a face of surprise. "Now, what do we do?"

"Ummm…..I guess we have to go our separate ways." All girls nodded at Riza, a sign they agreed.

Winry chose the door in the middle. Riza picked the one on the left, and Lan Fan took the one on the right.

"Well, this better be the right way." Winry slowly turned the doorknob, and walked inside.

Riza did the same, and so did Lan Fan.

They were on their own now.

* * *

Mei awoke from her unconscious state. She suddenly had the need to go to the bathroom. "I should've gone with them! Dammit!" she cursed under her breath as she stood up from her bed. Unfortunately, her glove had been on the ground when she stepped on it, slipping then falling into the floor, the cold wooden floor.

She slowly stood up, still needing to go to the bathroom. She walked her way to the door with her eyes half closed and a bit blurry, which led her to slamming into the side of the door, collapsing back to the floor. She quickly recovered from her ordeal, and walked her way outside. She finally reached the three doors. She didn't know what to choose, and felt for a second it would be better if she returned, but didn't. She chose the first door, and walked inside. Once inside, she took a glance at everything. Nothing looked different from the previous room. Mei walked over to the next hallway, more doors. Her peach colored night gown fluttering behind her, brushing against her ankles here and there.

Mei couldn't tell which was the bathroom. She had to make a guess. She randomly picked the fourth out five door, and slowly turned the doorknob. Once inside, she say one bathroom, two more hallways. "Seriously! Is this house the freaking maze or something?" She walked over to the door, but just as she was about to cross the hallway, she bumped into something, or _someone_.

"What the?…" Mei whispered in the dark. She felt something underneath her, and it wasn't the cold floor.

"Mei?" She was a bit surprised. She knew this voice, but who's?…

"Who's there? I ain't afraid of showing off my moves!" Her voice sounded a bit threatful, but not really as she finished talking in the dark.

"It's me, Alphonse. What are you doing?" Alphonse stuck out his hand, grabbing something off the side. He turned it on, and next thing Mei knew, a light from the flashlight showed her and Alphonse's face a few inches apart. Her cheeks immediately turned red, and she pulled away, falling onto the floor. Alphonse slowly stood himself up, then stuck out his hand for Mei. She grabbed it, and was instantly pushed back into her standing position. She was still blushing as she thanked him.

"What are you doing here? It's really late, you know." Mei studied him as he brushed any dirt or dust off him. He seemed awake, unlike her. He didn't seem like he was going anywhere, judging from his clothes. Everything seemed alright, well, for now.

"I'm sorry…." she managed to whisper. "I didn't think nobody would be awake, and I wanted to go to the bathroom really badly, but the one in our room doesn't work during the night, and I'm really sorry, and I probably sound really stupid right now, but what else can I say. I'm a girl, we have our necessities and it sucks really bad for me cause I'm still soo young and-" Mei was cut off as Alphonse put his finger on top of her lips instead of saying any words.

"Shh. You'll wake up my brother. Come on, I'll show you were it is." He gently grabbed her wrist, and they both started walking.

_I've never realized what pretty amber eyes he has…._she blushed even more at her thought. "Thanks," she silently responded as he led her to the bathroom. _Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! 'Thanks?" What kind of response is that! Ughh! I'm so freaking stupid!_

For a second, Mei was about to smack her forehead for being so idiotic, but remembered Alphonse was there, so she ignored her thought and walked next to him. "What were you even doing out here?" she dared to ask.

"Same as you. I may live in this house, but it still seems like a maze to me. Pretty dumb, huh?" He said rubbing the back of his neck.

A little giggle escaped Mei's mouth as he said that. "No, not really. I have to admit, this is a house full of mazes. Why does it resemble like a maze?"

Al just stared at her with a blank expression. "Never actually thought of that…..Probably because of my father's interests in such flamboyant things."

"Oh." Mei wasn't surprised at his father's extraordinary tastes, noticing how much of the house wasn't your everyday items. She watched as Al led her through many right and left turns all over. Her feet barely made a sound unlike the boy who walked ahead of her, who's feet made a small noise as it made contact with the floor underneath. Her hair flowed behind her, the night making no sign that other life was awake at this minute. It was quite, just quite….

_Something doesn't feel right…_Mei thought as they walked closer to the restrooms. _I feel like I'm being watched…._She silently shook her head, denying that there was _somebody _watching them. Within minutes, both arrived.

"Well, I think you can handle yourself from here. It's just behind that door," he silently whispered to her as she grabbed the handle.

Mei felt a bit confused. "I thought you needed to go, too."

He shook his head. "No, actually I lied. I went to grab a quick snack, and I guess I got lost. I didn't wanna sound stupid. Sorry."

"No, it's okay." She lid her face up with a small smile, "I can practically understand why you would get lost here. You don't have to make up some lame excuse just so you won't sound stupid. Anyways, thanks. I kinda had fun…."

She quickly ran into the bathroom, leaving the boy confused at her last words she had spoken. He gave himself a small laugh, and started walking away, "Girls…"

* * *

**Read and review! Here's the new chapter. Hope you enjoyed. Anyways, next chapter is probably gonna be about Ling and Lan Fan, so yeah…**

**Do not own Fullmetal Alchemist….(wish I did though! It would be soo cool, but not as cool as the original.)**

**And if I may say, you guys are awesome! x3**

_Peace!_

**~Lucy**


	5. Pudding Can Change You

**What Meets The Eye**

**Chapter 5: Pudding Can Change You**

It had been probably five minutes since all three girls had parted their ways. Lan Fan couldn't really see up ahead, but her senses were all she needed. She made sure her steps made no sound, and her breathing was barely even noticeable.

Since she really didn't know where she was going, Lan Fan would make random choices. She didn't even know if she was heading close to the kitchen, but she didn't really mind it. She did have some curiosity in her that wanted to see more of the house.

_I wonder where I'm leading to_…She thought as she passed by a window. Just then, something caught her attention: a full moon.

Lan Fan began retreating back to the window, and stood there staring at it for a small amount of time.

It reminded her of her homeland where she had grown up as a child before going off to training. She shook her head, telling herself not to forget what she was looking for.

Before she left, Lan Fan couldn't help but to look at her reflection on he mirror.

"I look like a damn mess…." Seeing how her hair was let down instead of a bun, she didn't really like the sight of her. She quickly disrupted her thoughts, and walked away from the window, hoping to maybe find something.

"Why did I have to be cursed with this life?" She whispered, almost slamming onto a wall as she stopped paying attention.

* * *

The raven haired boy threw his sheets aside, and stood from his bed. He heard his stomach grumble, and he realized he was hungry.

"Damn…..I wonder if my loyal servant senses my stomach grumbling…." He thought for a moment before walking to his door, and exiting his room and entering the hallway. "Oh well, she'll eventually come.."

* * *

It had been more than minutes of wandering around Lan Fan had done. She was bored, and losing her appetite. She needed to get to the kitchen quickly.

Her face was looking more bummed, and she started feeling more tired. Her eyes felt heavy, and she would yawn every minute. She felt as if she would faint any minute.

Using all her might, she pulled herself together and headed straight. "Maybe I should just…." She suddenly smelled something in the air, something different. Her eyes shot open, and for a second, she was about to run but stopped herself before she did.

_FINALLY! It's a miracle! _She thought as her hope returned, and for some random reason, she felt as if she saw herself at that moment, her eyes would be sparkling out of happiness.

_I'm such a weirdo…_

Lan Fan found a door that was labeled kitchen, and she quietly but quickly opened the door. She held her breath in, and her eyes almost felt watery, "It's a miracle…." Her voice sounding ridiculously sad and happy.

Lan Fan didn't know what to get first: They had a huge pantry section, a large refrigerator she remembered seeing earlier that day, a small snack cabinet, and even a refrigerator filled with just beverages of all kinds.

"Am I dead?…." She was breath taken by all the food she imagined was in the kitchen itself.

"What can I eat first?" The young girl walked her way to the snack cabinet, and took a cup full of yummy chocolate pudding. "They have freaking pudding!" She looked around for a spoon before finding one in another cabinet full of cooking and eating utensils. "Oh my goodness! This house has everything!" She said as she spoke with a spoonful of pudding, hugging her pudding cup out of joy.

"What should I do next?" She thought as she realized she had eaten all pudding. "Damn…"

Lan Fan's boredom was beginning to return, and so did her yawns. Her curiosity wasn't done for, and she didn't know what to do.

"Looks like she did come," Lan Fan, using her ninja instincts, grabbed a knife in a flash, and swiftly turned around, holding it to Ling's neck. "Whoa, calm down…"

Lan Fan's eyes widened, but then went back to normal seeing who it was. "Oh, it's you Ling." Her voice sounding bored.

Ling's face went a bit shocked and a little red, "It's Mr. Ling to you!"

"Yeah, sure, whatever…" She didn't really cared enough to pay attention, and went on with he business even though Ling was right there.

Ling felt a bit shocked of his servant's rude behavior, but he couldn't scream at her late at night. "What do you think you're doing?"

She only made eye contact with him for a second, before looking back towards the refrigerator. "What does it look like I'm doing?"

"Well," Ling looked at the empty pudding cup, then at her. "Stealing my food."

Lan Fan's face lit with a devious smirk, "I'm pretty sure they didn't say anything about stealing your food," She rose an eyebrow at him, waiting to see if she was wrong or not.

"I guess….But that still doesn't give you the right to get food without making me something!" He looked at the girl in front of him, expecting a honest answer.

Lan Fan sighed, her eyes now half closed. "Fine," she went to the snack cabinet, and threw him something. "Here, have that."

Ling looked at the small cup she had given filled with some brown substance. "Um….What's this?"

Lan Fan looked at him with a funny look, "That's pudding, dude."

"Pudding?" He looked at the so called 'pudding,' then back at Lan Fan. "What's that?"

Lan Fan felt like she could burst in laughter, but wouldn't since it was dead at night. "You don't know what's pudding? Where have you been for the last century? Locked up in Roy's closet?"

"W-What?" His face looked disgusted by her question. "No! That's disgusting!"

Lan Fan giggled a bit at his reaction, feeling less bored than she did a minute ago. "I was just kidding…..I hope…" She then threw him a spoon, and grabbed another cup of pudding.

"What do I do with this?" he asked, holding the silver spoon up in the air.

Lan Fan couldn't believe this guy. "Um…You probably were locked up, but lost your memory…" she whispered under her breath, making sure he didn't hear it. "You open the pudding cup, then scoop up some with your spoon…"

Not really knowing what to do, Ling stabbed the wrapper covering the pudding cup, creating a entrance leading to the pudding. "Like this?"

She looked at him, shocked by his actions. "I guess that's one way how to open it…." After securely opening the pudding cup, she scooped some pudding with her spoon, showing Ling an example. "And now you try it."

Ling felt a little embarrassed, but went on ahead. As he swallowed the first spoonful of pudding, his face went blank.

"Oh damn, I think I killed him.." She joked as he saw a smile appear on his face.

"This is so amazing, spontaneous, glorious! I have never tasted such a thing in my life! And it's called pudding, yes?"

Lan Fan nodded her head, feeling proud of herself. "Kinda surprising coming outta you." Lan Fan decided to sit down on the marbled floor, feeling a little tired from standing all day.

Ling also sat down next to her, continuing to eat his pudding cup. "I guess….So, what do wanna talk about?"

"You want to starts a conversation?" She stared at him surprised. "I think the pudding got to you.."

"Nah," His face looking serious. "It's my responsibility to make sure you're not here to kill me or snap my neck or something…."

"Hehe, yeah…..That's just ridiculous.." She said, feeling a bit awkward.

_How the hell did he find out I was planning to do that? _She thought, though she knew she probably wouldn't.

They each ate their pudding quietly, an awkward tension rising between them. Lan Fan would steal a glance every minute or so, and Ling would do the same thing. Soon, she began yawning, feeling tired. She didn't want to leave the kitchen yet, and decided to close her eyes for a minute.

Before she knew it, Lan Fan fell asleep, her head tilting, until it finally fell onto Ling's shoulder.

"Huh?" Ling turned and saw the sleeping girl on his shoulder, feeling a bit confused. How was he suppose to get her to her room if he didn't know where it was?

He thought for a moment, then came up with the only thing he could do.

Ling lifted the sleeping girl in bridal style, and left the kitchen. He carried her all the way to his bedroom, where he made her some space, and laid her down on his bed. He knew by the time she would wake up, she would freak out, but it was better than just leaving her there until someone discovered her or she woke up.

After making sure she had enough space, he sat at the edge of the bed, staring outside the window before looking back at the sleeping girl. She looked so peaceful, and he didn't want to ruin that image.

He grabbed some extra blankets from his closet, and made himself a comfy little area in his room where he could sleep.

"Goodnight, Lan Fan…." He whispered before he fell asleep.

* * *

**New, latest chapter. I'm sorry for updating late! You know I have a she-devil for a language arts teacher! **

**I hope you enjoyed, and don't forget to review!**

**~Lucy**


	6. Shadows Of Darkness

**What Meets The Eye**

**Chapter 6: Shadows Of Darkness**

_Why did I ever decide to split up with the girls? _Riza asked herself as she walked across the hallway, her shoulders slumped down. _I'm such an idiot…_

Riza felt clueless as she passed doors. This house was confusing to her. There were all these entrances she didn't understand.

"How many damn rooms does this place have?" She took a deep breath, calming herself down.

"You said it," She shrieked, slamming her arm right behind her, hearing a small cry as she made contact with something, or someone.

"Why the hell did you do that!" She turned around, and found Roy kneeling on the ground. "That hurt!"

"Oh, you're that Ray dude-"

"It' Roy, Roy! How many times do I have to tell you!" He looked up, seeing the girl was looking at him with a bored look.

"Whatever, Ray.." She turned around, and kept on walking.

Roy growled, annoyed by her little teasing. "Hey, wait!" She turned around, sending him a threatening glare. "Um…I mean, where are you going?"

"Um…Why are you stalking me?" She said in a weird accent, making him annoyed.

"I asked first," Placing his hands on his temples.

"But, like, I thought it was totally like ladies first, isn't it?" Riza raised her eyebrow, waiting for something out of him.

"Do you hate me or something?"

"Nooo, I just love you so much, I'm acting like this for you," She turned back around, and ignored his questions.

Roy, not giving up yet, followed the blond. He wondered where she was trying to go, but knew better than to ask.

"Why do you keep following me?"

He made sure he was a few feet away from her before responding. "I have to. You're my loyal servant, but I'm not sure if you're that loyal…."

She threw her hand back, smacking Roy's face instantly. "Is that loyal enough?"

"Stop doing that!" He complained, rubbing his face with his hand. He sighed as he saw the blond overlooking him, making him feel puny for a second.

"Well?…." She asked, furrowing one of her brows as she placed her hands on her hips.

"Well what?" He asked, his voice sounding upset.

"Are you gonna stand up, or do you need some female assistance?"

Roy, being the typical stubborn man he was would've denied, but it seemed for a second, she was actually trying to bond. "S-Sure…"

"Why did you just stutter?" Riza asked more quickly than Roy would've thought.

"I did not," He took her hand as she extended it out to him.

"Um…Yes, you just did," She replied.

"No, I did not!" Roy accidentally pulled back his arm, taking the girl down along with him.

When he opened his eyes, he saw Riza was sitting on top of him, her face slightly blushing at their position.

A devious smirk appeared on his face, making Riza confused.

_So that's her weakness, huh? I can live with that…_

He grabbed her wrist, and pulled her even close. Riza felt her face going red as she felt his breath tickle her neck.

He neared her ear before whispering, "I like this position…"

Immediately, she pushed him away. She almost shrieked as his voice echoed through her head.

"What the he-" She was cut as Roy put his hand over her mouth, not allowing her to finish her sentence.

"Seeing the situation we're in right now, I think it would be better if we just whisper," He awaited for her to response, but nothing came out of her mouth.

_He wants to be like that, hm? Two can play that game…_

"You know," She stood up from the floor, brushing her hair off her shoulders. "Men like you shouldn't be out so late."

"And why is that?" Asked Roy as he did the same as Riza, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Because," This time, Riza was the one who neared Roy, leaning close enough to whisper to his ear. "I'm not the type to mess with.."

"Is that a threat?" He asked, another smirk appearing on his face.

"Lets just say," She smacked the back of his had, making him back away towards the wall. "I will murder you, just like any others who get In my way…"

"Well," Roy said as he rubbed the back of his head. "Quite intimidating, aren't we?"

A growl escaped Riza's lips as she hit the man again, except this time she made sure she hit his face.

"Why do you keep on doing that?"

She kicked him once again, knocking him to the floor. "You guys are all the same!"

"What is that suppose to mean!" He yelled as he stood up. "Just relax, I was only-" But he wasn't able to finish his sentence as he saw Riza's foot almost smacking against his head. He managed to duck it, but was soon kicked in the stomach using her other foot.

"Why relax? I'm just simply testing out your combat moves, which you don't seem to have…" She rose an eyebrow when she saw him slump onto the round. Placing her hands on her hips, a sigh escaped her lips. "And I thought you actually had a chan-"

Riza felt a sudden grip on her ankles, and was brought down onto the floor. She looked and saw a smirk appear on Roy's face. "What was that you were gonna say?"

Riza snarled at him, but it didn't eliminate any restlessness she had in her. Using her foot, she kicked Roy right under his chin, which gave her a chance to stand up from the floor.

Wiping his mouth using his hand, Roy let out a chuckle, which surprised Riza.

"You're not as bad as I thought you would be…" He whispered, which only confused the blond even more.

"Is this some kind of test or what?" She asked, raising her eyebrow.

"You tell me," Responded Roy as he rubbed his chin. "Damn, your kick hurts like a bit-"

"What is it with you men?" He only stared as she stood up from the floor once again. "All you guys care about is strength, dominance, and are such impatient dogs of the humanity. Why can't you understand some people aren't like?"

"You're saying that to me as if I _am _the enemy. Do you have something against me?" Roy felt a cold tension rise in the room, causing him to feel a bit uncomfortable.

"Do I?" Swiftly, she moved closer to him, which stroke him with confusion. "But then again, you don't seem to be like others. You have different flaws, ones too complicated to speak of."

"Look…I'm sorry for all this trouble that's happening, but you gotta accept it." Riza listened, intrigued by his remark. "You think I would enjoy being locked up and losing my freedom? Trust me, you're not the only one with a difficult life in this building…"

Just for a second, Riza thought Roy sounded like her father, the one she had once deeply cared for before his final day had arrived. She never enjoyed his working habits, or his ideas. Unfortunately, being his daughter meant she had to follow. Memories rushed inside her mind, causing her face to go blank as she remembered her past.

"You sound like someone who I use to be close to…." Her face was partially covered by her hair, not allowing Roy to get a picture of her face.

"I get that a lot," He replied with a small grin.

"Can you tell me something?"

He still stared at her, a bit of confusion and curiosity inside of him. "Um….Sure…"

"Do you really enjoy this?" She asked.

"Enjoy what?" Roy asked once again, not really understanding her question.

"Stealing people's freedom." Roy was surprised by her question, not sure of how to respond. A quite, dead silence filled the room as the two stared at each other, awaiting for one to answer or reply.

* * *

**Okay, I wouldn't blame you guys if you think this is a cliff hanger. Partially, yes, partially no. I am really sorry I took so damn long to update! I hate my language arts teacher for giving us a damn research paper, and two book reports! Who the hell does that? Besides her….**

**Okay, I'm pretty sure you all know who's gonna have the next chapter. Honhonhon…**

**Leave a review! I just love reading them. See you in the next chapter, 'kay?**

**~Lucy**


	7. Freedom Is Mine

**What Meets The Eye**

**Chapter 7: Freedom Is Mine**

The doutbful feeling of confusion and knowing that you are lost is one very awkward. Your surroundings are unknown to you, and you're not sure at all where you seem to be heading towards. And so, you take whatever chances life throws at you, and guess.

That what was happening to Winry.

She had been wandering without a clue throughout the mansion, and felt as if she was in some sort of unknown maze that would eventually lead to nowhere. This clearly frustrated her, making her feel like an idiot for not expecting this.

_I should've thought before doing this…_She thought.

Her fingers carefully slipped behind her back as she began to whistle a low tune under her breath. Her head would twirl from right to left, or left to right when she thought she heard something. At one occasion, her own shadow had scared the hell out of her. Taking a deep breath to calm herself down, the blond had not noticed when she took a turn towards a dark hallway. By the time she noticed, Winry was too far into the hallway to return back with absolute sureness she would find her way back.

Without any other ideas, Winry continued to pace herself farther into the hallway. Her footsteps were silent as she stepped on the marbled floor.

_"Winry!" A voice called out to the young child, warning het to return back to the unseemingly place she called home. "It's getting late!"_

_As loud as the yelling was, Winry was able to ignore it. "Hmm," She nodded her head before walking towards her grandmother, humming an unknown melody as she skipped across the dirt path. Just as she was about to end her aunt's yellings, her feet stopped all movement, and her body turned back._

_Her clear, blue eyes stared at the place she had last seen her parents before they had disappeared from her life. This thought saddened her, but she knew it was for the best they had gone away; They were most likely somewhere in the battlefield, saving and helping those injured from the war, or at least she wanted to think that._

_Her thoughts were shattered when she felt drops of rain pound against her skin, causing her to tilt her head upwards, towards the sky above her. _

_"Wherever you two are," she whispered to herself, her voice seconds from cracking within all this depressing feeling she had deep inside her heart. "I hope you two are happy, and I want you to always know that I miss you." Feeling the urge to suddenly cry, Winry turned her face away from the pouring rain and ran inside the house, and up into her room._

_She locked herself in the room, knowing her worried grandmother would follow up to her room and ask what was wrong. _

_Pulling her knees up to her, Winry closed her eyes. Every time she closed them, the vivid memories of her parents replayed over and over, giving her some hope of their survival. _

_"I'm alone now..." Her low voice managed to whisper. Her fingers trailed down her long, bright blond hair that came down her back, and just below her hips. She stared at it for a while, blanking out from the rality surrounding her at the moment._

_"I guess things do change..." Winry's blue eyes trailed from the wooden floor, and towards the pair of scissors laying on the dark desk near the window. Her hands laid frozen, but she knew what she had to do._

Her blue eyes widened in realization: she just blacked out. Had she, even for the tiniest second, had a flashback?'

She shook her head, trying her best to get her mind to return back to reality. Winry thought for a moment, remembering that day when she was only nine. The flashback seemed vivid, live with color and emotion. Everything looked exactly like it had that day.

Feeling a bit tired from walking, Winry slid from the wall down to the floor, staring at the floor with a blank expression.

_"Ah! Winry, dear, what in heaven's sake happened to your hair!" Pinako shrieked as she stared, wide-eyed, at the young girl who stood in front of her._

_"Change," She simply stated. Her long, blond shiny hair was now replaced with a messy, shoulder-length blond hair. _

_Pinako only looked at her before looking away. "Winry," her grandmother whispered. "I know you feel alone that your parents are away, but you've got to stay strong! It's a frightening world out there, and it's not always what you expect it to be, but no matter what, you can let such minor things affect your feelings or thoughts in such powerful ways." _

_Winry only stayed still, not looking up to meet Pinako's eyes. "Winry...You're too young to understand-"_

_"But that's what they always say! 'You're too young for this' and 'You're too young to understand' but I'm not! I know what's going on!_ _I know my parents are out there, saving people's lives when they maybe both dead at this exact moment. Stop treating my like a five-year old. I would appreaciate it if you told me the honest truth without a struggle. I get you're trying to protect me from the scary world, but I know eventually I will have to face it. Sometimes, it's better if you tell me what's really going on..." Winry then noticed she had been crying the entire time, surprising her. _

_With a determined face, the blond child marched outside, into the pouring rain, where she splashed on the puddle. She was still crying, she thought, but she was also smiling for a reason. In her heart, she felt the feeling of depression and confusion collide, creating a feeling even she couldn't explain._

_Ignoring the constant pain in her heart, Winry looked at the sky above her, allowing her body to let go and fall onto the soft, green, wet grass._

Winry remembered that day, the clear image of the aftermath of her hair. She knew she looked weird, abnormal, but she didn't remember why she had done it. An impulse in Winry had told her to change, prove to anybody she wasn't afraid of changing.

She almost allowed herself to laugh at the image of her new hairstyle. Her grandmother Pinako had been right: Her long hair looked more amazing than the short hair she had given herself.

What a day that was! Everything had gone so fast in the past few years. From studying mechanics, medicine, having your parents volunteer for being doctors at war, seeing your nation lose the war, then having your freedom stolen away just because someone wanted to make you his sons' servant.

Winry then remembered she was still in that dark hallway when she heard coming down from the hallway. With her curiousity tempted to see what it was, she walked closer.

Winry was only able to see a few shadows, seven she eyes narrowed but her foot misplaced, causing her to slip and smack against the wall. The slip wasn't as loud as Winry believed it would be, but she noticed the attention of the figures turning towards her.

"Did you hear that?" She heard a raspy voice ask.

"Probably a rat," Another voice replied.

"Maybe it was someone," A third voice suggested.

"Let's find out..." A fourth voice sounding intimidating said. The last sentence worried Winry. She suddenly felt something beginning to slither up her ankle, her fear rising wildly.

Her voice was about to release a shriek when a hand covered her lips and grabbed her waist, pulling her away from being seen and inside the darkness of some unknown room.

She muffled as she tried to say something, but failed miseriably.

"Don't move a muscle..." A famaliar voice whispered into her left. Winry could feel the mysterious person's hot breath on her neck, causing her to blush instantly.

The blond then noticed her and the msterious person were hiding inside the some broom closet, which unfortunately, wasn't too spacious. From the bottom of the floor, she saw as the shadows paced back and forth before disappearing, along with their shadows.

The grip on her waist loosened, and the hand came off her lips. The mysterious person reached towards the ceiling, and turned on a small, hanging light bulb.

Winry found herself face-to-face with no other than the arrogant Edward Elric. Before she could ask the many babbling inside her head, Ed quickly beat her to it.

"What the hell are you doing here!" He asked, making sure his voice didn't higher in its volume.

"Um..." Winry placed her index finger on her cheek, before shrugging her shoulders. "Sleepwalking."

"Like I'll fall for that one again..." He murmured. "You could've gotten yourself into some danger!"

"This is a mansion! What kind of danger could there be!" She as well almost yelled back.

Ed sighed, crossing his arms acoss his chest. "Seriously, what were you doing?"

Giving up, Winry looked away as she spoke. "I couldn't help it; I had to explore. But this mansion is like Wonderland, or something. You can't find a beginning nor an ending."

"And you simply went on?"

"Yes," her voice replied.

"And Al says I'm an idiot," Ed slightly chuckled, which angered the girl.

A sudden growl alarmed Ed, but the golden-blond could react, an object made contact with his scalp, throwing him to the ground.

His eyes trailed up and saw the furious Winry holding a wrench in her hand, which shocked him.

"What the-!" He jolted as he was smacked again.

"Well, excuse me for being an idiot!" Winry spat at him, surprising Ed.

"Why the hell did you do that!" He yelled as he rubbed his scalp, feeling a few bumbs around.

"Same reason you called me an idiot," Winry calmly whispered. "I felt like it."

"But that almost killed me!" Ed screamed as he stood from the ground. He walked closer to Winry, their faces not so far apart from each other. "Words don't kill!"

"No," Her voice whispered. "But they can surely hurt! So I believe we're even, now."

"You're crazy..." Ed stated, staring at the girl with a weird expression.

Winry laughed at his thought, remembering this wasn't the first time she had been told. "Oh, trust me, I know. I've been told before."

"Did you also hit them with a wrench!" He asked. raising an eyebrow at her.

"Well..." She looked away, almost blushing just thinking of the boys she had hit with her tool.

"One question." Ed said as he stared at the blond. She nodded, allowing him to continue. "Are all girls this crazy?"

Another hit was earned from the question.

As he laid a bit dizzy on the floor, Winry looked at him. "Can we go now?"

"Um...You can check," He whispered, feeling dazed from the hit.

Winry slowly and quietly opened the door, peeking outside both directins. Making sure they were all alone, she stepped outside the room, taking a deep breath of fresh air.

Ed also exited from the room, looking around. He sighed before looking back at Winry. "I gotta be more careful around you..." He whispered.

Winry leaned in close to the golden-blond, whisperin into his ear, "Goodnight, Mr. Elric..." She whispered, causing him to blush. As she began to walk back to her room, Winry turned back, saying, "Sweet dreams, shrimp..." And winked.

A small giggle escaped her lips as she turned into another hall, disappearing from sight.

Ed only stood in place, still blushing. "...S-Shrimp?..."

* * *

**So, yes. I do apologize for a late update. My computer is being a dumb dumb, and I meant to update sooner, but it wouldn't let me have five minutes to even upload. So I had to come to my cousin's, where he allowed me to upload, and I must thank him.**

**Some EdWin hints in this chapter, if you didn't notice...I hope you liked! Don't forget to review! Thanks for those who do review, favorited, and/or alerted! I really do appreciate it. I'm sorry for any grammar mistakes, by the way. Just incase you do notice some.**

**Till next time!**

**~Lucy**


	8. New Mornings

**What Meets The Eye**

**Chapter 8: New Mornings**

A light blush appeared on the girl's cheeks as the figure in her dream spoke to her.

"Oh Mei," He silently but seductively whispered. "You don't know how long I've been dying to meet you..."

Her eyes twinkled with the memories of her waiting for her right, handsome Prince Charming. She stared as her long hair whipped around from the wind, but she ignored it. All that mattered was her prince...

"My mysterious, golden-eyed prince...May I have the greatest honor to see your real, stunning face that is hidden beneath that white mask?" Her voice asked, his eyes gleaming with glee and a smirk replacing the smile on his face.

"Of coarse," He shut his eyes carefully as her fingers trailed their was to each end of the mask, slowly, with the edge of suspense that was killing Mei, rising. Her eyes widened as the mask fell on the ground. "I love you," His voice whispered.

Her eyes widened when she saw his _real_ face: "Alphonse!" He looked into her eyes, leaning in for the kiss that happens in the end of every princess story. She pressed her two fingers on his lips, his eyes opening with a confused look upon his face. "Yah...About that whole 'You being my Prince Charming' and 'falling in love with you'...It ain't working out anymore." Taking a deep breath, she took a run for it and ran with all her might.

She felt a hand wrap around her arm, bringing her face towards his as his lips let two words slip out: "Te amo," And their lips met for a lovey-dovey kiss; Too bad she didn't want that...

"AAAHHHHHHHHHH!" Mei awoke with shock, sweat all lover her face. Breathing heavily, she noted Winry and Riza were sleeping peacefully on their bed, but Lan Fan was suspiciously missing...

_Oh well,_ she thought. _More room for us!_

Covering her blushing face with her hands, Mei sighed at the dream-like nightmare. It made herfeel ashamed to know she, Mei, the ass-kicking young female from the small tribes who had no mercy, had just recently had a fairy tale-like dream, with Alphonse Elric: her master, the boy with a nice smile-

_STOP IT! _She scolded herself, allowing her back to fall onto the pillow. Wanting to go sleep, Mei closed her eyes and tried to calm down.

Anyways, Alphonse doesn't have a nice smile: He has the nicest smile she had ever-

_Oh my fu- Go to sleep, you creepy thoughts! _She groaned as the thoughts piled up in the back of her mind. This wasn't going to be easy anymore...

Damn teenage hormones.

* * *

Inside another room, a pair of dark-colored eyes fluttered open as her mouth let out a small yawn.

_That's weird,_ Her mind thought. _Since when did the room smell like-_

Her eyes shot open, the scent becoming clearer to who it belonged. It couldn't be, it was just impossible. Maybe a mistake? Maybe her mind was just playing trciks with her; Yeah, that's it, it has to-

A yawn that did _not _belong to her echoed through her ears.

"Oh no," Her voice whispered as she lifted herself off the comfortable bed.

_Lan Fan...W-What happened last night? _Asking herself, Lan Fan tried to remember but the last thing she saw was pudding.

Pudding? Hmm...That sounds yummy at the mo-

_FOCUS! _Her assassin voice was in command now, she noted. Now that she was in unknown territory, it was important she observed the are before making any harsh movements.

Throwing her feet off the side of the bed, Lan Fan was confused as she saw the one and only face of Ling. He looked peaceful, even though he was sleeping on the floor of his own ro**om-**

_WAIT! His own room? Oh God, did the pudding really get to his head? I knew I shouldn't have done that..._Shaking her head in disappointment, she wished she could scream at the top of her lungs, but of coarse, she couldn't; All she could do was think how stupid she was to fall asleep last night like that. She knew better, and yet, Lan Fan had let go and had acted free. This would've really disappointed her grandfather, her inner voice was telling her.

Lan Fan looked back at Ling, her inner teenage thoughts taking over. As much as it disgusted to even admit it, even more to think it, the girl had to admit he was adorable when he was asleep. Shaking her head once again, Lan Fan studied the room around her.

It was pretty messy and yet, it was well-organized (A/N: Is that possible? Oh well, I always like messing the whole "impossible/possible" way...). Besides the undone bed she laid upon at the moment, it was tidy. Some of the papers were thrown all over his desk, plates toppled each other in the side, and a small lamp laid on the corner of the desk. His clothing, which really consisted socks and simliar-designed jackets, were in a pile and thrown in the corner of the room, along with his shoes. The walls of the room were creamy, pearl white with red, wavy-like designs on the bottom and top of the walls. The celing was different, she noticed. It almost looked like a map, lines of dots all leading to the same X. Her eyes then turned towards the window, which was fully opened, allowing bright rays of the sun to enter the room.

The room looked comfortable, overall.

Her eyes shut as she release a heavy sigh, her the grip of the sheets her fingers had tightening, unable to resist the temptation to throw a pillow at Ling.

But she couldn't, she knew she wouldn't; No matter how strong the temptation was, she would not allow herself to.

Releasing a chuckle, Lan Fan raised an eyebrow at the rare sight in front of her.

"Yup," Her voice silently whispered. "This is so gonna be one hell of an experience..." The grip on the sheets lessened as she stood up from the bed, exiting the room quickly.

* * *

Feeling a ray of blinding sunshine hit her face, Riza managed to crack an eye up, throwing her arm on top of her eyes and blocking the sun.

"Damn..." She let her body stretch before she stood up from the bed. She saw Winry still sleeping, Lan Fan was missing (Probably assassinating someone, she thought), and Mei would make a groaning sound every once in a while.

Last night had been a weird one, alright.

After asking Roy the question, an awkward silence arose from both of them. Not hearing any reply come from him, Riza found this probably being her only chance to walk away from him. As she did, the blonde didn't hear him even move a muscle, just sat there and probably was thinking of something...

Oh, and how much she wanted to kick his ass right there! Being involved in war and all, she had thought herself to resist all problems caused by anger or annoyance. Hurting or injuring someone for a low reason was without a doubt a lever she would never touch, so Riza had to restrain herself from attacking.

Okay, maybe she gave the dude a few bruises here and there, but he deserved them, she thought.

Noting it would only be a few minutes before Winry would awaken, Riza took this chance as to sneak in the bathroom and get a head start for showering.

And for some weird reason, Riza felt the urge this time to take a shower in _cold_ water...

* * *

Last night had been _freaky,_ Winry thought. That was really the only words she could use to describe it.

She wondered what had truly been Ed's reaction after she had disappeared. The face he had done right in front of her had been priceless, but he just _had _to have more than one reaction. But a girl could have her curiosity, right?

Hearing the sound of someone showering, Winry took the sounds as a sign it was time to get up. She had to admit she felt tired from staying up all night, but she couldn't make up her mind if it was worth it or not...

Then she heard the sound of the door opening, and turned to see a very tired Lan Fan walking to her bed and drop without hesitation. Winry was about to ask something but the voice of Lan Fan beat her to it.

"Don't ask," Was all she said in a sleepy tone.

Now _that _was just one plain, weird sight.

Deciding to allow the other two girls to sleep, Winry skipped the shower that day and went straight to her clothing. Once fully dressed up, her mind drifted off up to the clouds as her body fell back onto her bed.

"Just one more minute..." Her voice mumbled before fully drifting off.

* * *

"Now boys," The clear, husky voice of Mr. Elric echoed through the ears of all four boys. "If you may, please explain why you are all either looking rather tired, bruised, happy, or just plain crazy? Please, entertain me." His face was clearly showing that he was curious to hear their stories.

"Um..." Roy mumbled.

"...You see..." Al went on.

"This thing..." Ed continued.

"I want some pudding," Ling suddenly announced.

"Excuse me?" The father asked, making sure he had heard right.

The boys looked at each other, and for the first time in a while, realized something was wrong with them.

Roy had several bruises on his face, and his hair was very messy. Ed had bumbs on his head, and would blush every five seconds. Al would randomly smile, which for some reason, would creep out the boys. Ling, on the other hand, couldn't stop mumbling something about pudding ever five seconds.

It was awkward moment shared between all four boys.

"I fell," Roy suddenly said. "In the shower..." Before he went silent.

"Um..." Ed rubbed the back of his neck before saying, "I had a dream about alchemy research..." Explains his blush, since he does almost admire the alchemy research. "And I slipped out in the hallway..." Explaining the bruises. "And I got locked in a closet..." Finally explaining the bags under his eyes.

"I just feel happy," Al said like it was a casual thing, and all three boys took a step back, and even his father raised an eyebrow.

"Did you know we had pudding? I did not know we had pudding-" Ling went on and on, annoying all of them for his sudden obsession with pudding.

"Okay..." The elderly man mumbled before turning his chair in the other way to allow him to see the view outside his window. "Boys, today I want you to ignore whatever happened last night," Shooting a quick glance at all four, "And concentrate. Tonight, Hughes is coming for dinner. And he wants to meet the newest additions to the house."

* * *

**Yah! Another chapter down, and Hughes is entering the story in the next chapter! Oh yeah...**

**Now, like in every other chapter, please review~**

**Thank you for taking your time and reading my story. I appreciate it very much.**

**Till next time then, sayonara! =3**

**~Lucy**


	9. Crazy Train

**What Meets The Eye**

**Chapter 9: Crazy Train**

"Hughes?" The blond repeated, raising an eyebrow at Ed who has just told her the latest news. "Who's that?"

"I don't even know how to explain him to you..." He looked to his right, staring at the window that showed the entrance to the huge mansion. Thinking for a minute or so, he turned his attention back towards Winry. "He's sorta like that person in your life that others would call crazy, but they're really that person who keeps you from going crazy. He's really great, you two will get along with no problem. So don't stress about it."

"Well, can you at least tell me who he is?" Winry asked, letting her back be supported by the heavy case of books. She watched in curiosity as Ed looked throughout the pages, scanning them more quicker than she could ever. Within two minutes, he would be finished with a book, and she would take this as her cue to return the book to its original spot.

"Hughes and Roy are good buddies. Both went to military school with each other, got close-" He turned to face Winry and found her staring at him with a slightly blushing and confused face. "-As _friends_, and so we got introduced to him not so long after, and we couldn't help but to adore the guy. Anyways, he has his family. Every once in a while, he pays a visit to see how we're doing. He heard about you guys, and wanted to meet all four of you." She waited for him to continue, but only seemed to pay attention to his books.

Seeing as he was busy, Winry began to walk around the library. She saw they owned many books, different types in each section of the library; mostly consisting of alchemy-related subjects. Some books were covered in dust, probably haven't been opened in a while. As she turned, her attention was caught by a book that seemed untouched by the other dusty books around it, its silvery color standing out from the rest. She couldn't help but to grab the book, gently opening the fragile material to a random page. Just when she was about to began reading the sentences that seemed to be never-ending, two hands grabbed the book away from her and shut it.

"You're here to assist me with placing the books where they came from, not to read the books," Ed told her, returning the book to its place. "Got it?" Before Winry could respond, he turned and began walking back to his desk in silence.

"Sorry..." She whispered, barely allowing Ed to catch her words.

He turned his head sideways, giving her a look before turning away. "Why apologize? It was only a simple mistake, no harm done. You just have to be careful what you choose to read; some topics here, are not meant for the faint of the heart..."

"Half of the books here are about alchemy," She pointed out. After waiting a few seconds to see if he would respond, she continued. "What could be so scary about it?"

"Ha! Trust me, you would be shocked. These books are somehow related to alchemy, but not all of them are centered around it," Ed explained. After making sure Winry was still behind and following him, the two of them entered the hallway and began descending the stairs. "Oh, before we take another step, I think you should know that you and you're friends are gonna have dinner with us of tonight. And with Hughes."

* * *

"He said what?" Making sure she heard right, all other three girls were surprised by what Winry had told them.

"Well," Winry felt a little shy at the moment but pushed the feeling aside. "Ed said we were to dine with the man and them."

"Yeah, he probably meant serve," Lan Fan chuckled, pouting at the thought of having to serve six men and watch them eat in front of their faces, making them feel inferior. Ling would most likely eat the dinner in a flash, quickly wanting his precious pudding to be served. She grabbed several plates and placed each on its spot, making the wooden table look more like the dining table it was.

"She's got a point," Riza agreed, already picturing an image of Roy ordering her to get them bottles of wine and clean after their "little" celebration. The thought already caused part of her to be upset, her fist ready at any moment to wipe that smirk off his face. Shaking her head and shattering the image, she looked back to Winry for more info. "Is that all he said?" She asked, putting their dining utensils next to the plates.

"Um..." Thinking about it, Winry did remember the other blond mentioning a few facts about their upcoming visitor, but not much about later that night. "All he said was the dude was great, had a family, past visits, and he was excited to meet us. Sounds nice, no?"

"Um, for all you know..." Mei stepped in the conversation, following behind Winry with the fancy cloths the men enjoyed having next to, ready to clean any mess. "The man can be a secret closet-pervert, some creep, or worse...The groping type..."

All girls shuttered at the thought of that, their excitement dropping and anxiety rising. As the girls moved all over the room, fixing anything that seemed unusual and moving unnecessary objects, they heard the voices of the boys nearing and decided to exit from the dining room to the kitchen. Just as they thought they had escaped from seeing their masters, Winry forgot to place the brightest detail in the room: flowers.

"Shoot," She whispered, handling the vase carefully, she told the girls to go back to their room. Agreeing, Winry went the towards the dining room as her hands carefully held the vase full of yellow sunflowers when she heard footsteps behind her. Turning around, she blamed her weak listening skills and kept walking on. Just as she was about to enter the dining room, the door opened and revealed it empty as it was when she left...except for Ed, who happened to be sitting in the chair all the way in the back.

"Don't mind me," He whispered, his face showing thought and concentration on something. "I'm just here to watch."

"Watch what, exactly?" Winry asked, nearing the center of the wooden table, avoiding the large chair that came near her every twelve inches. Placing the vase in the center, she fixed the flowers to look more glistening, brightening the plain room with more color. "You're alone. What can you possibly watch?"

"Someone. None of your concern, though," He commented, looking away from her stare. Winry could tell from her spot he seemed to be blushing, and couldn't help but to giggle. Shrugging her shoulders, she went along with his words and returned her attention back to the flowers.

She tried her best not to say anything, feeling his stare from across the room. She would silently do her business in the dining room while he would silently watch her. Every few seconds, she would steal a glance and he would look away.

"I can tell you're watching someone, alright..." She finally spoke up, looking up to him to question his glances. "And as long as you are, I don't think you're too busy to say some info, am I right?"

"I-I guess not..." Ed murmured, the boredom in his eyes disappearing. "What did you want to know?"

* * *

"And where were you?" A curious Riza asked, raising an eyebrow as Winry entered their room. She was smiling, walking towards the girls in a calm manner."

"Just putting the flowers on the table," Winry replied, ready to tell them what she had learned.

"You took quite the amount the time there, hmm?" Mei couldn't help but to point out, wiggling her eyebrows at Winry.

"Ew, no! Mei, the dude can't possibly be the closet pervert cause she's here already," Earning a laugh from each girl except Mei, who stuck her tongue out at Winry. "So mature...Anyways! I was talking to Ed, who just happened to be willing enough to share some info about this Hughes dude," Winry announced, sitting next to Riza as the girls all looked at her with confused looks. "Ed mentioned that we would serve, and then most likely be forced to sit down next down to whoever we assist, and dine with them. He said that Hughes is a great man, and will not tolerate any unfairness with us, for he sees us as people. He does sounds like a great guy. So anyhow, the dinner serving is to begin at six, which gives us about an hour left to do whatever we want to, or at least can. So what should we do?"

"Oh, I have an-" Before Mei could finish her sentence, a voice was heard outside their door, demanding them to go help Hughes who had just arrived.

"Damn it," Riza whispered, watching as the other three girls sighed as well. She stood up, shrugging her shoulders and walking towards the door. "Are we going or not?"

"Let's get this over with," Winry murmured, following behind Riza as they exited the room.

Walking over to the staircase, they climbed up and walked past the hallway, down another staircase, and entered the room leading to the main entrance of the mansion. All four girls lined up, waiting for Envy to say something but only stood there, watching the entrance. A knock was soon heard, and Envy walked to the door, opening and showing a tall figure entering through the door. The man looked young, some facial hair on his chain here and there, dark-colored hair, a strict look upon his face.

"Well, well, well. Look who we have here," He began to speak, walking towards the girls with each step. His eyes moved from Mei, to Lan Fan, to Riza, and finally to Winry. Suddenly, the serious look on his face was replaced with a warm smile, which the girls were taken back by. "My daughter is just going to love you!" He announced, calling his family to come inside.

Winry now knew several things. One: this house was crazy. Two: this man with the name of Hughes now seems a bit crazy. And three: she maybe going crazy as well.

* * *

**Yeah! Finally update! Party! :DD**

** I hope you've enjoyed! Here's your present for the holidays! :)**

**Happy Holidays, and soon Happy New Year's! **

****_With much amor, Lucy~_


	10. Influence

**I am SO SORRY for being so late. So…..I'll make it up with this chapter..;) I felt there was a large lack of romance between the couples lately, so I'll spice things up. **

* * *

**What Meets The Eye**

**Chapter 10: Influence**

Since she had been living there for only a while, Winry had learned something that would always come in handy:

Everyone in this house is crazy.

One person had the domino effect that led to the demise of others as well. One little, tiny mistake can create the most awkward moment there could be, and that was something Winry strongly disliked for several reasons. She could only believe there were coincidences that would occur in the world, but she never expected so many to happen in a small amount of time.

Lan Fan has once told her in her first day that the house held more secrets in than any person would ever let out. Riza has pointed out that the people the Elrics plus Roy Mustang and Ling knew were rather miscellaneous. Mei just expressed her thoughts by saying how the boys acted well mature (or at least in most occasions) when someone was visiting their lovely home. And by studying and observing the boys from afar, Winry was able to see how the boys act when the ladies aren't there to fully watch their antics.

But all their personal opinions about the guys were different, since each had a different view point of them. Winry believed the guys weren't that bad once you got to know them. Riza would only let her conversations or leads to getting to know someone get so far. Lan Fan saw the guys as lazy pigs who only had a dream of annoying people to be fulfilled. Mei, being the youngest and most teenager of them all, would only do so much to actually make contact with them; even with Al did she feel a bit insecure due to her lack of interactions with other teenage boys.

So right after Hughes and his family settled in the house, Winry and the girls were told to get the table set for the guests to dine. Mei had brought fresh daisies and placed them in center, brightening the room up. Riza carried the plates while Lan Fan walked behind her, holding the utensils and new cloths to place them on. Winry was in the kitchen, helping the chef prepare the food to speed things up. After the famous family sat down, and the boys sat, Winry uncovered the roasted chicken, ham, mashed potatoes, beans and carrots, small bread rolls, and last but not least Mei walked with a bottle of wine held in her hand. Gently placing it on the table, the girls backed up on the wall and waited for any orders.

The girls looked at each for a second before turning their attention back to the table.

Winry stood there, bored out of her mind and waiting for anything interesting to be said or done. It was not until the wine was being poured into a glass when things picked up from there.

Ed reached for his own glass and brought it up towards Mei, who was the server of the fabulous wine, that his father spoke up.

"Ed," The older man piped up, catching everyone's attention, even Winry's, "I know you're almost a fully grown boy but you're still under the legal age of drinking."

"Are you serious-?" Raising an eyebrow, Winry turned to Ed who was getting upset; his mood had gone from relax to causing a heavy cloud of tension in the room.

"Dead serious." His father replied, giving him a stern look. "Now put your glass down and let's get back to dinner-"

His voice was cut by the younger Elric, who wasn't backing down from the fight just yet. "As if! You don't own me, old man! I can do whatever the hell I want."

"Ed, please." Hohenheim pleaded to his son, shaking his head to the side. "Not in front of the guests, Just understand, alright? Just be patient."

"Aw, come on! Loosen up, will you?" Another voice, more energetic and happy, cut in between the argument. "Let the boy drink," Hughes told Hohenheim, flashing him a glance before letting out a laugh. "The boy is old enough to understand there is consequences when drinking, and it will be his responsibility. And he won't be able to learn if you don't let him try-"

"Alright, alright…" The older man replied, sighing in defeat. "Only this once, Edward. Mister Hughes has a point that what you do will be held in your responsibility-"

"Yeah yeah. Now may I have my glass of wine or not?" Mai hurried to Ed's side and poured the wine into his glass, everyone enlightened to know the tension had lessened.

Hohenheim then told the girls they could go back to the kitchen and wait to be called out once again. Nodding her head, Winry led the girls back to the large kitchen. Before she exited the dining room, she turned her head to the side in time to see everyone smile which in return, she couldn't help but to smile as well.

"Now let's dine in!" Hughes announced, lifting his glass into the air and waiting for everyone else to do the same.

Except Elicia, who just sat there sipping her own cup of water.

* * *

Time seemed to go slower than usual in the kitchen, and all four girls were bored and silent. They would shoot glances at each other once in a while, but then go cold once again. Irritated by the silence, Winry finally spoke up. "So when do you think they'll finally finish?" The other three girls looked at her with curious eyes before shrugging their shoulders.

"Who knows," Riza replied, crossing her arms across her chest in frustration. "They usually take their sweet, precious time when dining."

"No hurry," Lan Fan piped up in a sarcastic tone. "Not like our maids are going to care since their entire existence is based on serving us for the rest of their lives. So why not eat slowly and start many conversations while they wait for their cue in the kitchen?"

"They don't sound like that!" Mei looked at her with a glare, clearly not pleased by the fake tones Lan Fan was trying to make. They shot each other deadly looks before turning their heads to the opposite directions, making a _humph _noise as they ignored the other's presence. "Your voices suck for your information."

"I never asked for your opinion, princess," Lan Fan said in an annoyed tone. She watched as Mai stuck out her tongue at her. Rolling her eyes, she turned her attention towards the floor. "Oh, how mature.."

"Teenagers….Am I right?" Winry asked Riza, raising an eyebrow. Riza stood there, her stare clearly showing she was uninterested.

"You're a teenager too, you know?" She replied, which Winry only looked like she was taken back.

"So are you!" Winry argued back, placing her hands on her hips.

Riza shut her eyes and sighed. "Which proves my point."

"And that point is?…" Winry questioned.

"That I'm the most mature-"

"As if! You're always complaining about Roy-"

"Don't bring him into this conversation!" Riza argued in a commanding tone. "What about you and Ed, hmm?" Riza raised her eyebrow once again, giving Winry a curious look.

"What are you suggesting, you pervert!" Winry gave her a sick look, wrinkling her nose in disgust. "Please do not take this conversation _there_. It's rather…unappealing for someone my age. Plus, I barely met the dude so nothing can be between the two of-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Riza placed her hands in front of her, stopping Winry from continuing that sentence. "I wasn't going to suggest that! Your own thoughts led you off. I was only going to point out that you seem to talk about Ed in a friendly way, you know. Like you two obviously started getting along since the beginning. But I am intrigued in what you were about to say…" Riza sent a weird look at Winry, wiggling her eyebrows at the blond.

Mei and Lan Fan, who had been quarreling and sending each other insults were not also intrigued by what she had said. Leaning in towards Winry, the two gave her the same look as Riza.

"You two got something going on?" Mei asked a curious tone.

"And who would've thought Winry would ever have a connection with Ed, huh? I guess desires can't be fought against…" Lan Fan mumbled in her common tone.

Winry gasped, before she thought of a way to strike back with her own words. "Oh, does Ling and Al not ring a bell, girls? And you seem to be infatuated with Roy, Riza. Maybe you secretly have a crush on-"

"You just had to bring the conversation to this-" Riza replied, her cheeks reddening. Mei and Lan Fan were also blushing, trying to hide their faces away from Winry. The girls were now arguing about the guys, each one of them using their own comebacks when they heard a loud voice calling them to the kitchen.

Walking to the dining room as if the conversation had never popped out, the girls stood next to each other to face an empty room, besides Hohenheim. He gave them their orders, and each girl went to work when he exited the room. Riza picked up the dirty dishes, stacking one on top of the other. Mei collected all the glasses and several empty bottles of wine. Lan Fan was collecting any other trash before the three girls exited the room, leaving Winry alone who was giving the task to broom the room. She looked around the room and sighed.

"What a mess," She blurted out with realizing. Everyone had left and were busy off somewhere else. She herself found that her job was more tiring than previously thought, and she only wished she could drift off to sleep.

_Oh well…_Getting back to her job, she was surprised to hear a voice call out her name. Turning around, she found Ed slumped up against the wall, and his face showed he was clearly uncomfortable. The nice clothing he had wore earlier was now less tight; the first buttons of his shirt unbuttoned, and the tie around his neck was loosened.

"Um, are you okay, Ed?" Winry asked, walking closer to the blond. Just a few inches away, Winry could smell the intoxicating smell of the wine, and the realization hit her:

"You're drunk, aren't you?" She asked, raising her eyebrow. She couldn't help but to chuckle at this thought.

He looked at her straight in the eye before his cheeks became redder. "Can you…Walk me to my room?" His eyes were hazy, and he seemed to be confused of his surroundings.

Turning around towards the entrance of the kitchen, Winry shrugged her shoulders and turned back. "Why not? Come on, let's get you back to your room," Grabbing his arm, Winry placed it around her neck and instantly felt his weight on her shoulder. They struggled to walk straight at first, but after a couple of seconds theu regained a better posture. "Come on, fella….Don't wanna keep the girls waiting."

"They won't mind though," Ed replied in his drowsy voice. "You're old enough to take of yourself, so they shouldn't w-worry.." Several hiccups escaped Ed's lips as they walked up the stairs. Winry found herself giggling at Ed's present state, and wondered if he would be able to recall the memories of that night. As she pushed open the door to his room, Ed mumbled something Winry wasn't able to catch.

"What was that?…" She whispered, getting closer to Ed as she helped him lay down on his bed.

"I said…" He paused, pulling the small, thin fabric that held his hair in place off; his hair cascaded down his shoulders. "That I think you're really pretty for someone that was caught between poverty and war. Usually…..p-people aren't that great in shape, and have really bad hair or something. But you don't…"

Blushing, Winry turned her face as the same moment Ed began to remove his tie and shirt.

"Like I said, really p-pretty…"Watching him yawn, Winry was caught off guard when she felt a pair of strong hands grab her by the wrist and pull her into the bed. She watched, at the same time blushing to levels she thought weren't possible, as Ed wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to his chest.

To his bare skin, causing the moment to become more awkward.

She felt his warm breath, along with the scent of alcohol, hit her.

"You smell…..really good.. too…" She heard him mumble between pauses, which only made the situation more embarrassing for Winry.

And before she knew it, Ed was out cold.

* * *

**Last time I updated for this story, it was Christmas.**

**I am just….Words cannot describe how messed up I feel, so I only hope this chapter can clear everything….maybe?**

**So I wonder how Winry's gonna get herself out of this predicament. And also, I've been captured by tumblr's awesomeness….Maybe that's why I haven't updated lately…..NAH! XD**

**Ta ta, dearies~!**

**-Lucy**


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